By Sheila Dwyer, MedTech1 StaffA stroke on November 7, 1994, left Bill Dunn paralyzed on his right side. He found himself in a hospital, then a rehabilitation center, and finally at home, where he had to relearn basic tasks such as dressing himself and brushing his teeth.
When he woke up in the hospital after his stroke, Bill knew that he would have a long recovery ahead of him. His doctors were hopeful that he could regain some use of his body. Though his right side was permanently paralyzed, Bill could strengthen his left arm and leg to allow him some range of motion.
Two of the aspects of his post-stroke life that Bill found most unbearable were his reliance on others and his difficulty leaving the house. At the time, he lived on the second and third floors of the house he owned. The stairs down to ground level were dark, twisted, and steep, which made Bill’s life difficult. He could get some of his nephews to carry him down the stairs in his wheelchair, but they could not always be around when he wanted to go out. As part of his rehabilitation, Bill had gained enough strength to walk short distances with the aid of a cane, but the stairs were a dangerous prospect.
Bill wanted to become more self-reliant, so in 1998 he moved into a handicap-equipped apartment and bought an electric wheelchair.
Bill purchased a Quickie wheelchair from Sunrise Medical, a leader in electric wheelchairs. The chair comes equipped with an adjustable seat, a hand control knob that allows him to steer the chair, a footplate with adjustable height and depth for his right leg, a battery charger, and more.
When asked if he likes his three-year-old chair, he replies, “Like it? It’s my life.” Bill gets out of the house almost every day during the good weather. In the winter, he cannot negotiate snow-covered streets very well, so he keeps the wheelchair’s battery charging in his bedroom.
“I get out of the house almost every day. I can’t today because it’s wash day, but every other day I go. I go to the park, I do my own banking, I go shopping.” Bill takes his wheelchair on the subway as well, which means that he can get himself to the hospital for his doctor’s appointments without asking for a ride.
Bill still sees his family regularly. In fact, a different member of his extended family is over at his apartment almost every night to help him with his physical therapy. But instead of needing them to withdraw cash from his bank account or pick up a prescription at the pharmacy, Bill can enjoy his visits and run his own errands the next day.
